1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to connectors, and more particularly to sealed electrical and fiber optic connector assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sealable electrical connectors typically have a plug assembly that removably couples with a connector housing to provide a sealed engagement between the plug assembly and the connector housing. Engagement of the plug assembly and the connector housing provides an electrical connection between a cord, cable, or other such electrical conductor located typically within a room or other area and one or more wires of a cord or cable or other electrical conductor located typically behind a wall. A sealable electrical connector can be used in a room or area having an adverse environment such that when the plug assembly and connector housing of the sealable electrical connector are fully engaged in a sealed condition, associated electrically conductive elements such as tines or other type of electrical conductors being located either within the electrical connector or on the other side of a wall of the room are protected from hostile environmental elements. If nonsealable electrical connectors were used in these adverse environments, a potential exists that the nonsealable electrical connectors may expose associated electrically conductive elements to one or more harmful materials such as fluids, particulates, or other materials. These harmful materials could include gas vapors, particulates or liquids, which may produce explosions, short electrical circuits, or cause other detrimental effects.
Conventional approaches to implementing sealable electrical connectors can still require a level of care and a certain level of accommodation that may not be available under certain circumstances. As such, the conventional sealable electrical connectors may not be in a sealed condition unbeknownst and despite the best intentions of those associated with their use. For instance, users may not realize that certain caps, housings, or other sorts of enclosures of conventional sealable connectors need to be twisted, pushed, screwed or otherwise secured to a degree beyond what may appear to a particular uninformed user as being fully engaged to provide the sealed condition. In particular, a plug assembly may be partially unscrewed from a connector housing due to poor installation practice or may become partially disengaged during operation to cause an unsealed condition that most likely would be difficult to detect until a failure results. Discovery of this unsealed condition may be difficult since the partially disengaged condition may upon casual inspection falsely appear to be the fully engaged, sealed condition.
In other instances, external electrical cords or cables coupled to a sealed conventional sealable electrical connector may become entangled with a passerby causing a pulling force to be temporarily imparted on to the conventional sealable electrical connector thereby producing a temporary unsealed condition that may not ever be noticed or may be noticed through the resultant serious harm caused. Vibrations found in some environments, such as from nearby machinery, may also cause a force on the conventional sealable electrical connector that produces an unsealed condition. This may cause the conventional sealable electrical connector to repeatedly cycle from being unsealed to being sealed back to being unsealed based upon the frequency and amplitude of the vibrations found in the vicinity of the connector. This cycling unsealed condition may never be discovered until it is too late and the harm has been caused.
Conventional approaches have not sufficiently anticipated these or other events that can cause long term, temporary, and cycling unsealed conditions in conventional sealable electrical connectors. Consequently, although the conventional sealable connectors may appear to provide a seal, in realty they may not always be sealed. Conventional sealable electrical connectors may not provide a sufficient barrier between electrically conductive elements and hostile environmental elements when used within adverse environments. Similar problems exist for conventional fiber optic connectors used in adverse environments.